


Love In A Hopeless Place

by Sang_argente



Category: Glee
Genre: Anxiety, Klaine Break-Up, Kurtofsky Endgame, M/M, Not Blaine or Klaine Friendly, mention of sexual assault
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-02
Updated: 2013-11-08
Packaged: 2017-12-31 07:18:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1028830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sang_argente/pseuds/Sang_argente
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What everyone assumes is a perfect relationship usually isn't. It's usually draining and painful and more trouble than it's worth. Sometimes, it may be this way and the people in the relationship won't even notice. But when an instance throws the truth into Kurt's face, how will he recover?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It was dark and it was cold and Kurt just wanted to go home. But he couldn't. His face was swollen and red from all the crying he had done after Blaine had walked away from him. He couldn't stop shaking and there was no way that his hair would lay flat after the hour he had spent running his fingers through it.

Simply put, Kurt was a mess. And there was no way he could go home if he was a mess.

He let out a small, lonely sob when he realized there was no where he _could_ go. He was alone and was just now realizing this. He couldn't go to his house for fear that his dad would be more concerned with the fact that he had gone to a gay bar rather than the fact that his boyfriend tried to force sex on him. His boyfriend, Blaine, who just left him because he was more concerned that Kurt had denied him than that he had potentially hurt Kurt.

It was sad that his dad and Blaine were the only two people Kurt could think of to go to for comfort. Though it did make sense. Besides family and significant others, most people went to their friends. And Kurt didn't really have any friends. He hadn't for a long time now- definitely since he'd transferred back from Dalton to McKinley. When he thought back to it though, perhaps he'd never really had friends. The friends Kurt thought he had had left or drifted away over the summer between sophomore and junior year. The only person he'd even thought he was still friends with at the beginning of that year had been Mercedes and she had pulled away after his dad's heart attack.

The resulting loneliness left Kurt in the position he was in now: alone, hurt, and scared with no place to go and no person to turn to. All Kurt wanted right now was the loud comfort of people and noise. Reluctantly, he brought his head up and stared out of the front windshield. There Scandals sat, loud and thumping and full of people. Exactly what Kurt needed, even if his problems for the night had technically started with Scandals.

Doing a quick face check in his rear view mirror, Kurt could almost manage a smile at the sight of his near calm face. No one would notice the slight redness of his eyes or the tense lines around his mouth. Especially since it was nearly -Kurt glanced at his phone- one in the morning. In line with the time, Kurt pulled off his bolo tie and vest and threw them into the passenger seat before untucking his shirt and mussing his hair one last time.

Kurt jumped out of the Navigator, slamming and locking the door behind him. Cautiously walking up to the door, he stopped in front of the bouncer and looked at the large man coyly through his lashes. "Mind if I go back in?"

Narrowed eyes took in his ruffled appearance, tense figure, and shaking hands. The bouncer sighed and laid a hand on Kurt's shoulder gently. "You got a ride home, darlin'?"

Kurt shook his head and raised a hand to run it through his hair. "My car. I'm not drinking, I just need. . ." He trailed off, uncertain, but needn't have worried because the man was now nodding his head sympathetically.

"Go ahead," he said softly, giving Kurt a tiny smile. "But if you decide to start drinking, come let me know, alright?"

A sweet smile split across Kurt's face. "Thanks, um. . ."

The man laughed. "Derek."

"Derek," Kurt repeated, nodding to himself. "I'm Kurt."

"Have fun, Kurt," Derek winked and moved out of the way so Kurt could go in.

When he entered the bar, Kurt stopped for a moment, soaking in the atmosphere. He slid his gaze over every person there, smiling at a few couples that were leaning against the walls. Trying to not look for the one person that was responsible for him being here in the first place, Kurt whined quietly when the other boy turned and locked eyes on him. Instead of gearing up for the argument that Sebastian was clearly on his way to him for, Kurt turned and headed to the bar where he was slightly surprised to see David Karofsky still sitting.

He walked over to Dave and slid onto the stool next to him, positioning himself to face Dave, propping his head on his fist.

"Hey, Dave."

Shifting in surprise, Dave turned and caught sight of Kurt next to him. "Kurt? What the Hell?!"

Suddenly self-conscious, the smaller boy sat up and dropped his hands into his lap, staring at his fidgeting fingers. He was overcome by the feeling that, just like everyone else, Dave wanted nothing to do with him and the conversation from earlier was just Dave doing his best to be polite to him.

"I, uh, sorry. . ." Kurt shrugged restlessly. "I shouldn't have bothered you."

"No! What?" Dave dropped a heavy hand on Kurt's knee carefully, the other hand tentatively pulling the smaller man's face up by the chin. He looked at Kurt with worry and confusion in his hazel eyes. "Kurt, what's going on? I saw you leave with Blaine earlier."

"I did," Kurt affirmed quietly, trying to resist the urge to wiggle closer to Dave's large, warm presence that, despite past actions, just seemed to create a sense of comfort and protection. "Well, he left. I couldn't go anywhere after. . ."

"After what?" Dave pushed gently, rubbing his thumb softly over Kurt's knee. "What happened?"

Kurt exhaled shakily and grasped Dave's free hand. "He wanted to- I said- But he-" he stopped himself. It was useless; he couldn't get the words out. The helplessness from earlier crashed over him again and he began to whimper.

"Ssh, Kurt," Dave squeezed his hand and knee tightly. "It's alright. You don't have to say the words. I understand."

Nodding gratefully, Kurt pressed his lips together and shut his eyes against the coming tears. He wanted to find somewhere he wouldn't be alone but would be private enough so he could just curl into a tiny little ball and cry out all the hurt and fear and loneliness. But he couldn't. All he had was a gay bar and an ex-bully.

He froze in confusion when Dave's arms came up and wrapped around him, knocking him out of his thoughts. The larger man pulled until Kurt was in his lap, his face pressed tight against Dave's shoulder.

"Oh, Dave," Kurt sighed wetly, the urge to cry blocking his throat.

"Hush, Fancy. I've got you now," Dave said sweetly, lifting a hand to run his fingers through Kurt's already messy hair. "I'll take care of you."

"Thank you," Kurt whispered as he pulled back just enough to look into Dave's eyes. He wrapped his fingers around the collar of Dave's jacket and laid his head back down on his shoulder. "You're being so good to me."

Dave tightened his arms around Kurt's waist, pulling him close enough that Kurt could feel his chest rise and fall against his side. "You deserve it. That and so much more. No one knows that better than me."

At those words, Kurt finally relaxed against Dave's chest completely, the tension dissipating and leaving his weak, tired body slumped. "God, David, who _are_ you? You can't possibly be real."

The arm around his waist tightened again, Dave's other hand dropping down to stroke over Kurt's thighs. "Do you want to get out of here? We can go someplace a little quieter. It may be the weekend but you look like you could use a good sleep."

"That sounds great," Kurt admitted, smiling softly. "I know where I want to go- if it wouldn't bother you. I mean, if you wanted to tag along."

Dave put his hands on Kurt's hips and pushed him to standing. Getting up after, he wrapped his right arm back around the smaller boy's waist and steered him to the exit.

As they were leaving, however, Kurt caught sight of the one person he definitely did not want to see. Unlucky for Kurt, Sebastian had his eyes locked on him again. In fact, it looked as if he was walking right up to them. Kurt really didn't want to put up with him, especially now that he had calmed down a little.

"David," he pushed himself tight against Dave's side. "David, we have to get out of here. We need to leave _now_."

Instead of asking what had upset Kurt, Dave cast his eyes around the bar and caught sight of Sebastian stalking towards them. He glared and said, "We are, Kurt, don't worry."

They made it to the exit and walked out into the cool early morning air, barely managing to nod at Derek as they went past. The slight breeze that slid over Kurt's skin and the though of Sebastian following them caused Kurt to hurry to his car, practically dragging Dave along with him. They reached the Navigator but it was too late.

" _Hey!_ "

"Damn it!" Kurt dropped his forehead against the driver's side window. He had been so close to avoiding this. Behind him, he felt Dave shift so he turned around and found the larger man had dropped himself into a defensive, protecting stance. His legs were spread, feet flat, knees bent, and arms loose at his side. Dave was ready for anything.

"What do you want, Sebastian?" Dave asked, voice tight.

Sebastian lifted an eyebrow, a malicious smirk spreading across his face. A smirk that just caused Dave to wind up even tighter.

"Don't," Kurt laid a hand against the small of Dave's back. "Please, David. Can we just leave? I'm so tired."

"Yeah, alright," Dave nodded, relaxing slightly. "You're not driving though. We'll take my truck instead and I'll bring you back here to get your car later."

A strange look flashed across Sebastian's face. "You're going home with _him_?"

"Why do you care?" Kurt sighed, all the emotions of the night leaving him weak, shaky, and completely unwilling to deal with Sebastian's particular brand of bullshit.

"I'm just saying that you pitch a bitch fit about me hitting on Blaine, you leave with Blaine, yet here you are," Sebastian gestured to their surroundings. "Hours later and no boyfriend in sight. You don't want Blaine to have any fun but now you're going home with this-this bear cub? What the Hell, Kurt?!"

At the mention of Blaine, small tremors shook Kurt. He'd nearly forgotten that ugly part of the night and just _why_ he was leaving the bar with Dave. Being reminded of it now just pissed him off. He pushed past Dave until he was in Sebastian's face. Then he lost it.

"Oh, _fuck you_ , Sebastian!" Kurt spit out, every weak emotion quickly turning into anger. "You don't know Blaine or Dave and you sure as Hell don't know me! For your information, I _tried_ to leave with Blaine earlier. _He_ tried to make me have sex with him in my backseat. Now that might sound like the highlight of a Friday night to you but I'm a virgin. And I don't intend to lose my virginity in a car with my boyfriend in a near rape just because he got horny with the local _slut_."

He paused a minute to breathe, feeling a thrill of vindictiveness at the look on Sebastian's face. Catching his breath, Kurt continued. It felt good to let it out, like all the weakness was melting out of him.

"Now when Blaine found that out, he got pissed and stormed off. I don't know where he went and I don't particularly care. I was _terrified_ , Sebastian. I sat in my car crying for over an hour until I just couldn't handle the loneliness anymore so I went back inside. I needed someone to talk to -anyone really- but I saw Dave. I was so grateful because Dave's so good at taking care of me."

He glared at Sebastian hatefully, his eyes ice cold, and finished. "So if I want to go home with Dave instead of Blaine, that's really none of your fucking business, is it?"

Sebastian's face was frozen in an expression of sorrow and disbelief. When he wrapped his arms around himself, he looked more like the boy he was and not the creep he had been acting like since Kurt met him. "Did-did Blaine really. . ."

"I know you wanted him and you thought he was perfect," Kurt said, only being bolstered by the warm hands on his shoulders as all the anger had disappeared. "I did, too, but he's not. He's _not_ perfect but. . .if you still want him, I'm breaking up with him today. I can't handle being with him when I'd never know if he'd do something like that again."

"I understand," Sebastian said quietly. He looked like he wanted nothing more than to not understand and that broke Kurt's heart a little. "Kurt. . .I'm so sorry this happened to you. I feel at least partly responsible because I invited you. I go after something I want and I wanted Blaine but I'm not heartless. I'm here if you need anything. Really."

When Kurt froze in shock, Dave finally moved forward and pulled Kurt to his side. "What about Blaine? He's going think it's weird that you're suddenly best buds with Kurt."

The Warbler shrugged. "We aren't that close. Besides, I've learned that people's true personalities come out when they're drunk. If that's the way Blaine is, I want nothing to do with him."

"Good," Dave said. "I don't know you, Sebastian, but you seem like a smart guy and smart guys definitely don't need to get mixed up in all that mess."

Nodding, Sebastian glanced at Kurt and gave him a tiny smile. "Will you text me later? I'd like to know how you're doing."

"Sure," Kurt said quietly, passing his phone over so his new friend could put in his number. Sebastian did the same, motioning for Kurt to pass it along to Dave when he was finished. "I'd like that."

They all traded tentative grins and waved, Sebastian walking away.

"You ready?" Dave spoke up, nudging Kurt gently.

"Yeah," he answered, looking up at Dave in appreciation. He smiled softly, the warmth of being taken care of coursing through him. "Yeah, let's go."

***

It was bright and it was hot and Kurt had just woke up, almost startled to find himself laying on top of another person. He tensed and relaxed in quick succession, the relaxation pulsing through him as he breathed in the smell of wet grass, flowers, sweat, and just a hint of Axe body spray. He was fine: he knew where he was, who he was with, and why. Despite the why, it was actually a pretty good start to the day.

He shifted slowly, trying not to wake Dave up as he cuddled close. All he wanted was another few minutes of those muscular arms wrapped around him and that wide, warm chest pressed against his. Sadly, it didn't look like he was going to get that. Dave was waking up.

"Mmm, Kurt," Dave wiggled a bit and opened his eyes, the sunlight hitting them and causing Dave to squint unhappily. He tightened his arms around Kurt so he wouldn't slip as they shifted together to sit up against the small slab of stone. "How're you feeling, Fancy?"

Kurt smiled up at him, happiness flooding every inch of his face. "I'm great," he said honestly. "Last night -well, this morning- was so comforting. I had no idea how long I'd been wanting that. Thank you. Especially for this." He motioned to the place around them.

Dave barely glanced at the long rows of various tombstones, plaques, and statues. "You were upset and wanted to see your mom. I wanted to do what would make you happy. I didn't mind."

Eyes burning from denied tears, Kurt stretched up and wrapped his arms around Dave's neck, pressing their faces close.

"Come on," Dave murmured lowly into Kurt's ear. "I'll take you back to Scandals to pick up your car and then I'll follow you to make sure you make it home okay."

Kurt stood shakily, his legs a little weak. He couldn't remember the last time he had eaten and he knew he'd been overly emotional last night. Those things together definitely wouldn't hold Kurt up.

However, Dave would and he did. He stood beside Kurt and led him gently back to the truck. He was so slow and careful, it brought tears to Kurt's eyes. When they reached the truck, he finally let go and all the tears fell.

"Kurt?!"

The smaller boy turned to Dave, cheeks wet and blue eyes tinged red but expression ultimately happy. "You have no idea how happy I am that you were at Scandals last night."


	2. Chapter 2

Kurt waved at Dave from the front steps of his house. True to his word, the other boy had followed him home from Scandals and sat in his truck, waiting for Kurt to go in without incident. The amount of care that Dave was showing him was almost overwhelming. He sighed and reluctantly turned to go in, dread already flooding every inch of him.

Closing the door behind him, Kurt slumped against it tiredly. Now that Dave was gone, he felt just as alone as he always did. There was nothing that could possibly distract except for _maybe_ an untimely appearance by Finn.

"Kurt? Is that you?"

Kurt groaned. Why did he even try to tempt fate? It was clear that it would only ever come back to bite him in the ass. He walked slowly into the living room, his whole body aching from crying and sleeping on the ground. "Yeah, Finn, it's me."

Loud, heavy footfalls signaled Finn's descent down the stairs. "Hey, man," the taller teen greeted brightly. His face fell, however, when he really looked at Kurt. "What the Hell?"

"What?" Kurt asked, raising an eyebrow and trying to put up a mask of calm. It was pretty difficult considering the fact that his heart was pounding wildly like a trapped rabbit's.

Finn stared at him incredulously, eyes wide and disbelieving. " _Dude!_ " he burst out, waving his hands vaguely in Kurt's direction. "You look like you slept in the yard!"

The blood in Kurt's veins turned to ice. He was overcome with the same cold rage that had filled him earlier that morning when he'd exploded in Sebastian's face. Kurt didn't want to be mad at Finn, he really didn't, but the one person he _did_ want to be mad at wasn't anywhere around.

"That's because I did, Finn," he replied curtly. He paused a bit before going on with his anger. "Technically. There _is_ dirt and grass at the cemetery so I suppose it could be classified as a 'yard'. I'm sure most people wouldn't think of it that way, though."

"Wh- the cemetery?! What?" Finn shook his head- _obviously trying to knock some sense into himself_ , Kurt thought cruelly. "Is that where you've been this whole time? You left around seven, man! It's nearly noon now!"

Kurt scoffed. "No, I wasn't there the whole time. I didn't get there until about two this morning. And before you ask, I was at a bar before that."

Staring at Kurt blankly, Finn repeated, "A bar?"

"Well, technically, it was a _gay_ bar," the smaller teen smirked.

"A gay bar?"

Sighing, Kurt popped his hip to the side and crossed his arms over his chest. "Let me clear this up for you," he said slowly, as if speaking to a child. "I left here at about seven. I picked up Blaine and we went to the gay bar. After a few hours, he left. I didn't. Another hour or so later, me and a friend went to the cemetery where we crashed for the night. That was at about two. We woke up around eleven, went back to the bar so I could get my car and now here we are. Nearly noon and home at last. Any questions?"

A strange look passed over Finn's normally confused face. He shifted uncomfortably, hands fisting at his sides, as he said, "Just one."

"Go ahead," Kurt sighed again.

"What did Blaine do?"

Surprise sparked in Kurt's eyes, warming them from the ice chips they'd been resembling. "Excuse me?"

Jaw tight, Finn spoke through clenched teeth. "What. Did. Blaine. Do."

Kurt was confused. He wasn't sure exactly what Finn was feeling and so didn't know what to tell him to get the other boy to calm down. It left him feeling lost and helpless and he didn't like it. "I-I don't understand. . ."

"Kurt," the older boy began in a tight voice. "You said Blaine left, but you stayed. When you left with a _friend_ , you had to go back for your car this morning which means something happened that made you unwilling or unable to drive. You slept at the _cemetery_ which means you wanted to see your mom. You only do that on special occasions or when you're really upset. Now tell me the truth. What did Blaine do to leave you at the bar with you so upset that you couldn't drive to see your mom?"

"Uh. . ."

Finn relaxed a little at the look on Kurt's face. "I may be dumb but I'm not stupid. So?"

There was a tense silence stretching between the two boys, making the air crackle with volatile emotions. After minutes of staring at each other, Kurt shocked and Finn expectant, the younger boy broke.

"Finn-" he began but was cut off by the slam of the front door. The boys turned toward the sound and then back to each other. They could hear Burt's heavy gait go into the kitchen and then the sound of the refrigerator opening. Kurt paled in fear. His dad couldn't see him like this. "Finn, I swear to your stupid Grilled Cheesus that I'll tell you everything later. Just please let me get upstairs and get cleaned up before Dad sees me!"

"You'll tell me everything?" Finn asked, wavering in his place at the bottom of the stairs. He looked uncertain as to whether he should believe his stepbrother or not.

"Yes!" Kurt nearly shrieked, his voice cracking. He could hear his dad moving closer to the living room. " _Just move!_ "

Thankfully, Finn stepped to the side just in time. Burt was walking through the doorway right as Kurt started sprinting up the stairs.

"Kurt!" his dad hollered at him. "No running on the stairs!"

"Sorry, Dad," Kurt called back, barely able to hear himself over his fiercely pounding heart. He slammed his bedroom door and dropped his tired body onto the bed, fighting a fresh wave of tears. The stress of secrets and lies and problems weighed heavily on him and he wasn't sure if he could handle it. Kurt had never felt so helpless in his life. The problem was this was something that not even a night being cared for by Dave could fix. At the thought of Dave, Kurt let out a little whine.

His shirt still smelled like Axe.

***

**Kurt Hummel** 's relationship status went from "in a relationship" to "single".

**Finn Hudson** , **David Karofsky** , and **Sebastian Smythe** like this.

**Blaine Anderson** : wait, what?! Kurt, please call me!

**Finn Hudson** : No chance, man. And thanks, Karofsky.

**David Karofsky** : Anytime, Hudson. Kurt, don't forget to text Seb.

**Rachel Berry** : Please tell me this is a joke, Kurt! Finn?

**Finn Hudson** : It's none of your business, Rachel.

**Kurt Hummel** likes this.

**Kurt Hummel** : Thanks for the support, Finn. I'll text him later, Dave. Back off, Rachel, it's not a joke. Blaine, I'm not calling you.

-

**Blaine Anderson** 's relationship status went from "in a relationship" to "it's complicated".

**Kurt Hummel** : No, Blaine, it's not complicated. I broke up with you.

**Noah "Puck" Puckerman** : by changin ur fb status? harsh man.

**Kurt Hummel** : Fuck off, Puckerman.

**Santana Lopez** likes this.

**Blaine Anderson** : I just don't know why, Kurt! What did I do wrong?

**Sebastian Smythe** : Dislike. And Lady Hummel, you better text me! ;)

**Santana Lopez** : Wanky!

-

**Blaine Anderson** doesn't know what happened.

**Mike Chang** , **Tina Cohen-Chang** , **Mercedes Jones** , and **8 others** like this.

**Sam Evans** : Bro, tell us when you know!

**Kurt Hummel** : He knows, Sam. He just didn't think I would break up with him for it.

**Finn Hudson** , **David Karofsky** , and **Sebastian Smythe** like this.

**Quinn Fabray** : I'm sorry, Blaine, but I get the feeling that you really deserved it. Kurt, call if you need some girl time!

**Tina Cohen-Chang** , **Mercedes Jones** , **Santana Lopez** and **2 others** like this.

**Santana Lopez** : Hudson looks like he knows. Why don't you try asking him, hobbit?

-

**Finn Hudson** isn't telling. Nice try, Blaine.

**Kurt Hummel** , **David Karofsky** , and **Sebastian Smythe** like this.

**Kurt Hummel** : Thanks, Finn. I know how hard that is for you.

**Finn Hudson** : Anytime, bro. Mom and Burt left, pizza?

**Kurt Hummel** : Meat lover's?

**Finn Hudson** : x2

***

Facebook was a joke, Kurt decided as he read over his wall from the time he changed his relationship status to Finn ordering pizza. Just the fact that people he hadn't really talked to in weeks were liking and commenting on nearly everything he put on there was proof of that. It wasn't anything more than an excuse to stop hanging around people in real life but still show you 'care' by poking flat, virtual representation's of those people's lives.

"Kurt! Pizza's here!" Finn called up the stairs, knocking Kurt out of his funk.

"Coming!"

He closed his laptop and pushed it onto the bed before standing to make his way downstairs. The corners of his mouth pulled down in confusion when he realized that the house was completely silent. _'That's strange,'_ Kurt thought to himself, cautiously stepping off the stairs and into the kitchen. _'Usually when Dad and Carole are out, Finn's trying to bust the windows with the sounds of war.'_

"Finn? Where are you?" he asked loudly, trying to hide the tremor in his voice.

"In the living room," Finn answered, voice oddly strained. "It wasn't the pizza, bro. Maybe you should go back upstairs and finish what you were doing?"

There was a quiet shuffle and hushed voices reaching his ears from the living room. Kurt tensed and made his way into the other room. "Blaine," he greeted tightly. "I thought I smelled betrayal."

Wide brown eyes turned to him, pleadingly. Blaine was obviously gearing up for an epic begging session but thankfully Finn cut him off before he could even start.

"Nah, man," the older teen shook his head, not looking up from his cell phone. "It's just his hair gel."

Kurt snickered meanly, unfortunately pulling Blaine's glare away from Finn and onto him. "Why are you here, Blaine?"

"To talk to you!" Blaine burst out, his hands waving. "Please, Kurt, we can work this out!"

He moved closer to Kurt, gaze serious and intent. Despite the lack of haziness, it reminded Kurt overwhelmingly of the night before and he stepped back unconsciously. He brought his hands up to push Blaine away if need be. "Stay away from me!" he shrieked, panic slowly creeping in.

The younger boy ignored him and took a few more steps forward. With every step Blaine took toward Kurt, Kurt took two away from Blaine. "Please," Blaine begged. "Come on, baby, let's just talk about this."

Cringing when he felt his back hit the wall, Kurt shook his head madly. "Don't call me that! I'm not your baby; I'm not even yours!"

There was only about a foot of space between the two of them, he noticed in terror. If Blaine wanted to touch him, he wouldn't be able to stop him. Blue eyes darted around the room worriedly, only to find Finn missing. Turning back to focus on Blaine, he yelped when he saw the other boy standing right in front of him. "I d-don't want to t-talk to you," Kurt said weakly, his voice shaking. "P-please, just leave me alone!"

Blaine shook his head insistently. He reached out and laid a heavy hand on Kurt's arm. "No, Kurt! You broke up with me and I don't even know why! _I deserve to know!_ "

"You don't know why?!" Kurt spit out incredulously. His heart was pounding once again, his body was shaking, and his hands were clammy. Here he was, pressed against a wall in his own home but he was just as helpless as he had been in the car the night before. The hand on his arm tightened, fingers wrapping around his wrist tightly and knocking him out of his panic induced stupor.

He did the only thing he could do.

He screamed.

He screamed loud and long and continuous until the hand around his wrist was ripped away violently. The terrifying presence that had kept him pressed against the wall was pushed away and a larger, protective presence took its place. Wide hands pulled him away from the wall and over to the couch, keeping him against a warm body. He didn't realize he'd been whimpering until relaxed arms stroked down his back, wrapping around him and tightening in a carefully calculated soothe.

"Ssh, Kurt," a familiar voice hushed him as those wide hands rubbed against his back. He let out a quiet little sob and pushed himself closer to the person holding him. The smell of Axe drifted to Kurt's nose and he relaxed completely, letting the scent fill his senses. He was unable to stop the little cries that were pushing up and out of his throat. "Come on, Fancy, relax. I've got you; it's okay."

"B-Blaine," Kurt choked out, tears spilling over his cheeks. He could feel the younger boy standing off to the side with his brother. "Blaine, Dave?"

He felt Dave nod against the top of his head. "Yeah, Blaine's still here. Want him to leave?"

Kurt shook his head and finally looked up, catching sight of the half concerned, half triumphant look on Blaine's face. He curled further into Dave, hiding a shaky smirk as the triumph was wiped away and replaced by confusion. "Finn?"

The older boy moved forward hurriedly, dropping to his knees so that he was at eye level with his brother. "What is it, Kurt?"

"Tell him." Kurt answered, calming down quickly now that Dave and Finn were taking control. "He says he doesn't know so tell him. Tell Blaine _exactly_ why I broke up with him."


	3. Chapter 3

"Blaine, I really don't think you're ready to hear this," Finn said quietly, gazing at the shorter boy intently.

Blaine looked over at Kurt on Dave's lap, hurt at the sight clear on his face. For a moment, Kurt felt a pang of guilt. How must it feel to see your recent ex in the arms of another man? Kurt couldn't imagine. He felt Dave shift and slide a hand over his back softly and abruptly remembered _why_ he was Blaine's ex and _why_ he was in Dave's arms. All the guilt, miniscule as it was, disappeared and a mixture of fright, discomfort, and sadness replaced it. Would he ever be able to look at Blaine again without feeling this way?

"Quite frankly," Kurt bit out, his words cold and sharp. "I don't _care_ if he's ready. I wasn't ready but that didn't stop him, did it?"

Dave pulled him close, one arm wrapped around his waist and the other resting heavily across his lap. The warm safety of Dave's hold calmed Kurt down quickly, tension slightly unwinding. As he relaxed, he curled closer to the larger teen, not wanting anything to pull him away. Dave's presence was the only thing keeping him from losing his mind. He could only recognize Blaine as a threat and if they were alone, he'd be the same quivering mess that he'd been before Finn had thought to bring Dave over. He sighed.

"Go on, Finn," Kurt said quietly. "I trust you to tell him because I can't."

"And I can't either," Dave spoke up. His right hand tightened on Kurt's thigh, tense with anger and the urge to protect. "Kurt needs me to keep him together right now. Otherwise, Anderson, I would be in the middle of pounding your face in."

"Oh, Dave," Kurt sighed. "I'm so glad you have your priorities in order."

"Of course," Dave agreed, voice playful but eyes serious. "You always come first, Fancy."

Blaine flinched at the casual nickname, his discomfort clear to see. He glared at Finn and Dave before focusing on Kurt. "Seriously, Kurt? You _just_ broke up with me- for no reason- and you're already messing around with this-this-"

"I'd watch what you say about Dave," Kurt warned, voice tight and strained. He narrowed his eyes discontentedly. "He's done nothing to you."

"But he has to you!" Blaine burst out, stepping toward the couch where Dave and Kurt were curled up. The sudden movement frightened Kurt into tensing up again, pressing himself close to Dave.

"Seriously, Anderson," Dave growled, wrapping his strong arms tight around Kurt. "Back the fuck up, _now_."

Finn reached out and pulled Blaine back to the doorway, putting as much space in between them and the boys on the couch as he could. When Blaine opened his mouth to complain, the taller teen dug his fingers into the soft flesh of Blaine's bicep and looked down, shaking his head angrily.

A loud sigh drifted into the ensuing silence. Kurt stood from his safe place in Dave's embrace and crossed his arms over his chest protectively. "Blaine, would you just- just stay as far away from me as possible? I don't want you near me."

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Dave's flinch and turned to grimace at the other boy apologetically. When Dave nodded in reply, Kurt turned back to face Blaine.

"I don't want you to talk to me, look at me, try and be my friend. I don't want anything to do with you," he spit out quickly, already losing his confidence when faced with all of Blaine's attention.

"But _why_ , Kurt?" Blaine asked earnestly. "I don't understand!"

"Because I'm _scared_ of you!"

The room froze. Dave knew that Kurt was a little uncomfortable around his ex but now, looking at his trembling back, he realized that it went far beyond discomfort. Finn had thought that Kurt was the kind of hurt that he usually covered with anger, the kind that would pass after a while if left alone. Blaine was still confused but also more worried about his future with Kurt than he'd been before.

Kurt stood in the middle of the living room, his whole body shaking and silvery tears slipping quickly down his cheeks. He inhaled shakily and forced himself to go on. "I'm scared of you. You make me uncomfortable and I can't trust you. You hurt me, Blaine, and not like you ever have before. I've been hurt by you so many times in so many ways that I thought I'd be able to push past anything you would ever do. But last night you made me scared for my _life_. I can't just move on from that."

It was obvious by the look on Blaine's face that he didn't know what he had done the night before. That he couldn't even remember last night.

"What I did?" he croaked out. He wrapped his arms around his chest and asked hopefully, "Is this about Sebastian? Because, Kurt, Sebastian doesn't mean anything to me."

Shaking his head fiercely, Kurt glared at his ex and said, "No, this isn't about Sebastian! This is about _me_ , what you did, and what you did to _me_. You got drunk and after months of slow and sweet, though it was okay for you to sexually assault me in the backseat of my car! That's what this is about."

" _Assault you?!_ " Blaine repeated dumbly. "Kurt, how can I sexually assault you? You're my boyfriend!"

"I'm your ex-boyfriend," Kurt replied quietly, staring at Blaine tearfully. "I said no, several times, and you kept going. You kept tearing at my clothes and holding me down and ignoring what I was saying. That's how you can- and did- sexually assault me. And now I can't stand to even look at you without wanting to throw up!"

Dave got up off the couch and walked over to Kurt. He laid a hand on the smaller boy's shoulder, trying to offer comfort, but this time Kurt pulled away. He curled in on himself, pulling on the experience of all the times he'd faced one of his tormentors. With the way he was feeling, he might not recognize Dave as a protector. It was more likely that he'd see Dave as the Karofsky that kissed him against his will and threatened to kill him. Even Finn, who was standing quietly in the doorway, was a threat to Kurt's safety with his past of dumpster tosses and name calling. Kurt was on his own. At this moment, every other person in the living room was an enemy.

"In one moment, you took away all the control I have. You know that I hate being out of control, that it's the one thing I pride myself on," Kurt said softly, staring into Blaine's sad, apologetic eyes. "I hate you for that. And I can't be your boyfriend if I hate you."

"Kurt, I'm so sorry," Blaine replied, his eyes bright with tears.

"I know," the other teen answered, voice cracking. "I know you are and that's why this hurts so much. The truth is that you knocked me down to my lowest low and Dave picked me up again. I want him around, not you. But, Blaine, whatever happens between me and him is none of your business."

The younger boy nodded slowly. He reached for Kurt, but stopped himself when he saw Kurt flinch away. "I understand. I love you, Kurt. I just want you to be happy."

Kurt shook his head and said forcefully, "Don't say that. I don't want you to ever say that to me again."

"What do you want, then?" Blaine questioned, his voice serious. "I'll do whatever you want, whenever you want."

"I want you to leave," Kurt answered honestly. "And I don't want you to talk to me. I don't know for how long because you _are_ my best friend, Blaine, and I don't want to lose that because of one stupid mistake. Right now, thought, just leave. Please."

"I understand," Blaine repeated as he slumped in tired defeat, all the fight draining out of him. "I'll miss you, Kurt, but if you want me to go, I will."

"Go."

Nodding tiredly, the younger boy walked out of the living room with Finn leading him out of the house. Kurt watched him go with dry eyes, feeling as if the total drama from the past day or so was over. It felt good. Sure, he'd lost the boy he thought was the love of his life and he had a knew guardian angel that he didn't know what he felt for but he'd stayed strong and not let Blaine push him around. His dad would be so proud.

"Kurt?"

Dave's voice cut through the lingering tension in the room, knocking Kurt out of his daze. He turned to face the other boy, a smile spreading on his face. It was small, but it was happy. "You alright?"

He nodded and said simply, "Thank you. I know that witnessing some of that was really hard for you."

"Me?" Dave asked incredulously. "Kurt, you totally just shamed the guy who tried to rape you. It was pretty impressive but I'm betting it wasn't easy to do."

Kurt shook his head. "No, it wasn't. It was awful, actually."

Moving toward the other boy cautiously, Dave slowly lifted his arms up and pulled Kurt to him. All the tension in Kurt's body drained away completely, leaving behind the warm fuzziness he'd started feeling whenever he was wrapped up in Dave. "And thank you for this. I feel so safe and protected with you."

"Then why did you pull away earlier?" the larger teen blurted out, hurt just barely noticeable in his voice.

"Oh, Dave," Kurt sighed before backing out of Dave's embrace. He smiled up at the other boy reassuringly as he lead them back to the couch. He arranged their bodies just like earlier, unwilling to be too far from Dave. This time, however, he sat Dave in the corner of the couch so that he could curl up on his lap more completely without fearing that he'd fall. "I was just in such a bad headspace; I didn't want to snap at you. Not after all you've done for me lately."

Kurt felt a light pressure on the top of his head. After some time in silence, he realized that he was feeling Dave rest his head against Kurt's. The level of comfort and intimacy that was between the two of them in this moment was the same as it had been earlier that morning in the cemetery. Surprisingly, Kurt couldn't be any happier than he was.

"You were thinking about it, weren't you?" Dave asked quietly, his shallow breaths fluttering the dark strands of Kurt's hair. "All those times that we hurt you. You were using all the strength from then to go against Blaine."

"I was," Kurt confirmed, surprised that Dave knew him so well. He sort of felt that he shouldn't be, though.

Dave shifted slightly, pulling Kurt as close as possible. "I saw you look at Finn a few times," he admitted, voice concerned. "Do you not trust us?"

"I do trust you, Dave. It's just that when I feel like that, all open and vulnerable and weak, I feel like everyone will hurt me. No matter who they are," the smaller boy confessed. He brought his hand up to play with Dave's shirt, his thin fingers plucking at the tiny buttons. Kurt could feel his face flushing as he continued. "I didn't know you were watching me that closely."

"I'm always watching you, Kurt. And I don't mean that in some kind of creeper way! It's just that. . .since the first day of freshman year, I've noticed you. I was scared to death of high school and wanted to go home so bad, but then there you were. So calm and cool in your fancy clothes."

Kurt smiled as he pictured the day Dave was talking about. He'd thought he would start high school off with a bang. And he did. His clothes had him thrown in the dumpster before lunch and his high school career had started off with the bang of the dumpster lid as it closed over him. "Hence the nickname."

The chest pressed against his ear shook as Dave chuckled. "Yeah, it's kind of lame but when I first thought of it, it just stuck."

"I was terrified, too, you know"

"But you didn't show it," Dave countered. "And I was so jealous that you were smaller and girlier and I was already a jock but you could walk the halls with more confidence than I would ever have. That's why I joined in on the dumpster tosses and slushies and shit."

"I know that the slushies are because I'm a loser," Kurt said. "But I always thought that the other stuff was because I'm gay."

"That's not how it was for me," Dave denied, tightening his arms as if he could protect Kurt from the horror of past memories. "For me, it was all about trying to make you feel as low and weak as I did. But it never worked. It made me so angry. And then I figured out I'm gay and I felt even worse. The way I treated you escalated until. . ."

The two boys tensed at the same time, the same memory flashing in front of their eyes. "The kiss," Kurt whispered. He froze in his place on Dave's lap. As much as he was enjoying Dave's protection and company now, the memory of that kiss always brought back the way he felt when it happened: helpless, frozen, and alone.

"I'm so sorry for forcing that kiss on you, Kurt," Dave said quietly, his voice heavy with regret and something else. "But I don't. . ."

"Don't what?"

"I don't feel sorry for kissing you," Dave admitted. "I felt like an ass for forcing you but if I had the opportunity to kiss you again, willingly, I would."

Kurt pulled back, nervous and confused as he stared up into soft hazel eyes. "David," he murmured, eyes narrowing. "What are you saying?"

A weak, shaky grin played around the edges of Dave's mouth, his anxiety clear. Despite that, he pushed himself to answer Kurt. "That kiss was the best kiss of my life, Fancy. And I have a lot of kisses to compare it to."

"Oh," Kurt squeaked, his eyes flying open wide in shock at Dave's confession. "Um. . .how many is a lot?"

Dave grimaced and turned his head away, refusing to look at Kurt as he answered, "I lost count."

" _What?!_ "

"You have to understand, Kurt," the larger teen pleaded, still looking away. "Not everyone is as comfortable being gay as you are. Some of us try to deny it for as long as we can in any way we can. After I figured it out, there were. . .a lot of girls."

"A lot like Finn or. . ." Kurt choked, trying to hold back even more tears. He knew Dave had been uncomfortable with his sexuality in the beginning but he'd always thought the other boy was more likely to try and confirm it with a guy rather than deny with it a girl. Or girls, however many there had been. Kurt didn't _want_ to know but he _needed_ to, so he pushed away the tiny part that had always wanted to be the guy that Dave confirmed with and finished what he was trying to say. "Or a lot like Puck?"

Dave shifted uncomfortably, pulling as much of his body as he could away from Kurt. His eyes closed in what looked like a painful mix of shame and regret. "More like Puck," he confessed. He opened his eyes and stared at Kurt earnestly before continuing. "But none of them meant anything to me, Kurt."

The tears Kurt had been holding back spilled down his cheeks, hot and fast. Little tremors shook his body as he cried for the scared little boy Dave had been, just a few short months ago. "Oh, _David_ ," he cried, throwing his arms around the other boy and pulling him close. "I'm sorry you ever felt like you had to do that. Sex isn't supposed to be meaningless. It's supposed to be special and important to you and your partner."

"The kiss was special and important," Dave said quietly, his breath hot on Kurt's neck, making the smaller boy shiver. "All the times with those girls were flat and empty, but that kiss was like life exploded inside me. It was bright and colorful and hot, like a supernova. It was so intense; it scared the crap out of me. That's why I started treating you so much worse."

"I've never felt that," Kurt whispered, twisting his fingers into Dave's shirt. When Dave pulled back, he looked up at him through his lashes and flushed. "Kissing Brittany was boring. I was too scared and in shock to enjoy that kiss with you. And Blaine's kisses were always. . .lifeless. They were sweet but that's it. I've never felt that intensity that you're telling me about."

"Kurt. . ." Dave breathed, his eyes darkening as he stared at the doll of a boy in his lap. "Those are the only kisses you've had?"

"Those are the only _anythings_ that I've had," Kurt replied, leaning forward. He could feel his entire body yearning for what Dave was describing.

A quiet groan broke out between them, startling Kurt into whimpering. Dave brought his hands up to rest on Kurt's hips, keeping a tight grip on them as he leaned into Kurt's space.

"Let me kiss you again," he pleaded, hazel eyes nearly black with desire and begging. "Please, Kurt. Give me the chance to make you feel like that."

Kurt rested his forehead against Dave's, their breath mingling in the small space that was left between their lips. He could feel his eyelids dropping, his eyes slipping closed as he was overwhelmed by an unfamiliar longing. He was longing for Dave to kiss him in a way that he'd never longed for anyone. That stupid crush on Finn, the short relationship with Blaine- the way he'd felt during those couldn't hold a candle to the intensity of the emotions burning through him right now.

"Please," he sighed softly. He heard an equally soft _"Kurt"_ and then the light brush of Dave's nose against his cheek. _Yes,_ he thought to himself. _Finally._

"What the Hell is going on here?!"


	4. Chapter 4

Time seemed to freeze and skip in the same moment. Kurt's breathing hitched but his mind started pumping adrenaline immediately, leaving him shaky and breathless as he jumped off Dave's lap and twisted around to look for the source of that angry voice. He paled when he caught sight of his father standing in the doorway, muscles tense and face red in obvious anger. Finn was standing behind Burt, staring at Kurt and Dave apologetically. It was quite possibly the scariest, most embarrassing moment of Kurt's short life.

"D-dad," he stuttered out, voice high and breathy. "It's- it's not-"

Burt lumbered forward, infuriated. He stopped right in front of Kurt, glaring down at his son as he said, "Kurt, what's going on here?"

"Dave was just leaving," Kurt said dumbly, curling his fingers tight around the fabric of his sleeves.

"Dave?" Burt's eyebrows snapped down, furrowing his brow. " _Karofsky?_ "

Kurt couldn't move. All he knew was that his dad had come home to find him alone with a guy. That was _inappropriate_. He could already hear the disappointment his father's voice would carry as he lectured him about following the rules. After the way Burt had been ignoring him in favor of Carole and Finn again, Kurt had a feeling that the talking to would be a lot more painful than it usually was. His body shook and his breathing hitched, the air coming in short, unsatisfying bursts.

"Dad, it's fine. I'm fine," Kurt babbled desperately, his terror and worry causing the strange, uncomfortable result of both tightening his throat and loosening his verbal inhibitions. He waved his hands about aimlessly. "Nothing happened, nothing will happen. Dave was just- We were just-"

Crossing his arms, Burt grimaced and shook his head. "I've got a pretty good idea of what 'you were just', Kurt. We've talked about this."

A twinge of shame resonated in Kurt's chest, like a strong thrumming of a guitar string. "I-I know we did and I wouldn't do anything to-to-"

Quiet words came from the couch behind him, soothing him slightly as Dave took up his unofficial duties as protector. "Calm down, Kurt. It's alright."

"It is _not_ alright," Burt roared, pointing at Dave. "I just walked in to see my _son_ in the lap of his _bully_ with his boyfriend nowhere in sight. I thought I raised Kurt better than that; I thought I taught him better than that when we talked about how having boys alone in my house was wrong!"

Despite the obvious tension, Dave scoffed and snapped right back. "If you honestly think Blaine should be here instead of me, then you're not the father I thought you were, Mr. Hummel."

"How dare you?!" Burt raged, his face darkening even further in his fury. "You come in my home, molest my son, and think you can get away with talking me to like that?!"

"Dad, don't!" Kurt raised his hands entreatingly. "It's not like that! You don't know-"

"I don't know what, Kurt? From the looks of it, I don't know a lot of things!"

Kurt cringed, his fear overwhelming him. He felt like his skin was going to vibrate right off because he was shaking so hard and he could hardly hear anything over the pounding that filled his ears. Was that his heartbeat he was hearing? It was so fast and loud. Had the living room always been this dark and suffocating? "I-I-I-"

He could feel his body giving in to the stress, sliding down to the floor as if in slow motion.

"Kurt!" Two voices rang out worriedly. There was a quick shuffle around the room as Finn pushed passed Burt and Dave hurled himself off the couch. Out of nowhere, Kurt was enveloped in the familiar feeling of large, masculine protection, but he could hardly focus on it. In fact, he was so trapped in his haze of panic that he could barely hear the commotion going on over his head.

"Dave! Dave, he can't breathe," Finn's voice cried. "I think he's going to pass out. What do I do?!"

"I've got it," Dave snapped back, using frustration to cover his concern. "He'll be fine."

"The Hell you do!" Burt roared again, the sound of his heavy, forceful rage pounding through Kurt's mind. "Get the Hell away from my son, Karofsky!"

As Kurt heard that, he tried to move, tried to straighten up so he could pull Dave away from Burt. Even though Burt was his father and had tried to do right by him in the past, Kurt couldn't let him hurt or take away anything that made him happy. Before he could do so, however, Kurt felt the thick, smothering blanket of unconsciousness being pulled over him.

_No..._ he thought hazily. _David...don't leave me..._

***

" _Fuck,_ " Dave spat breathlessly, catching Kurt just before his body hit the carpet. He swung the smaller boy up into his arms carefully and looked up at the man in front of him. "See what you did?! Fuck."

Although Burt's face had paled as he watched his little boy fall to the floor, the insolence in the voice of the boy who caught him caused his anger to flare hotly. "What I did? This would never have happened if you hadn't been here, Karofsky."

Before Dave had the chance to reply, Finn said quietly, "If he hadn't been here, it would've happened earlier."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Burt asked as he turned to stare at his stepson.

Finn stared at the unconscious Kurt in Dave's arms guiltily, shifting with nerves before looking back up at Burt in determination. "Blaine was here earlier. He got a bit rough."

Dave snorted, but quieted when he caught Finn's glare.

"Finn," Burt pleaded, realizing that he was way out of the loop. "Start from the beginning."

"He can't," Dave said quietly, holding Kurt close. "He wasn't there. But I was. If you'd let me, I could put Kurt in his room and tell you everything."

With the earlier outrage from seeing Kurt in this boy's lap somewhat cleared away, Burt only nodded shortly. He watched with cautious eyes as Finn lead Dave up the stairs to Kurt's room, but stayed in the living room to wait for their return.

"Here," Finn said softly, opening the second door on the left so Dave could go in. He watched with a small smile as the other teen carefully laid his brother on the soft white bedclothes that covered Kurt's bed. It was especially difficult to keep from cooing as he caught sight of how sweetly Dave brushed Kurt's hair back from his face before standing.

"Alright," Dave breathed out slowly. "Let's go."

"I think I'm gonna stay up here with Kurt," Finn murmured, moving to sit in the strange egg chair on the far side of the room. "That way he won't freak out if he wakes up and he's alone."

"Thanks, man," Dave answered, his voice half grateful and half sarcastic. He so did not want to face Hummel Senior by himself. It was a little early in life for, y'know, death.

Laughing, Finn shooed him back downstairs with an understanding apology and a "been there, done that".

By the time Dave made it back to the living room, Burt was sitting in the recliner by the couch with his head in his hands. Although the man was noticeably calmer, Dave still approached cautiously.

"Mr. Hummel?"

Burt raised his head slowly, his face a picture of worry and confusion. "Karofsky."

"You can call me Dave. If you want."

The man nodded carefully. "Alright."

Dave shifted uneasily, crossing his arms over his chest defensively. "So, you want the whole story?"

"Please."

"If I tell you," Dave said slowly. "You have to promise that Kurt won't get in trouble. Tonight, all this, I was just trying to look out for him."

If anything, this only caused Burt to look even more worried and tired. "I understand that, Dave. I appreciate it. I just wish it wasn't necessary."

Dave nodded and sighed. "But it was."

"Why?"

Taking that as his cue to start explaining, Dave answered him. "Last night, I was feeling pretty stressed about some stuff so I went out. I ended up at this little bar I've been to a few times and I sat down for a beer. I wasn't trying to get drunk, just unwind."

"What do you have to be stressed about?" Burt wondered aloud. "You're just a kid!"

"Sir, I hate to bring up bad memories but all that stuff with Kurt last year wasn't just hard on him. It was hard on me, too," Dave took a deep breath. He didn't want to expose himself like this but he guessed that it would only help in the end. "I was trying to come to terms with my sexuality and only Kurt knew it. I was so afraid that he was going to tell someone that I tried to scare him into not saying anything. It worked for a while, until I threatened to kill him."

A little bit of the earlier anger was creeping back into Burt's eyes but he stayed still and quiet, willing to hear Dave's side of the story. "Go on."

"I was expelled but that was overturned. Kurt transferred to Dalton. It seemed like everything was okay," Dave shook his head ruefully. "And then came Santana."

"Santana?" Burt questioned, curious of the girl who was spoken of with such obvious fondness, even if there was exasperation too.

"Santana Lopez. She's a Cheerio and used to be in glee club with Kurt until their weird civil war thing," Dave explained. "She's also one of my best friends and my ex-girlfriend."

Burt's eyebrows came together in confusion. "I thought you said. . ."

"I did. She caught me out and offered to be my girlfriend so no one would suspect," Dave said quietly. Even though their relationship had been as fake as Santana's breasts, he kept her in a special place in his heart. "She wanted to run for prom queen and thought that an anti-bullying campaign would be the key. She also thought it would help if we got Kurt to transfer back."

"So all that stuff in the principal's office was a lie?" Burt asked, his voice tense and unhappy. He had only let Kurt return to McKinley because he thought that his son would be safe.

Dave shook his head frantically. "No! No, it just wasn't for the reasons everyone assumed. Santana and I protected Kurt and we were doing a damn good job until prom."

"What happened at prom?" Kurt's father asked, wary of the answer.

"I was crowned Prom King and my Queen. . .Well, it wasn't Santana."

The room was silent for a while, Dave trying to come up with the nerve to continue and Burt coming to conclusions that weren't looking good.

"It was Kurt, wasn't it?" Burt asked. At Dave's tentative nod, he shook his head in sadness. "I knew him and Finn were acting odd when they got home, but I didn't question it. He never told me."

"He probably didn't want to upset you," Dave tried to reassure him. "After that, I was even more stressed. Principal Figgins had wanted us to dance at prom, but I couldn't. So I left. I felt like if I danced with Kurt, everyone would know that I'm gay. I still felt like everyone knew despite leaving prom. I felt trapped."

"What did you do?"

"I transferred schools," Dave admitted quietly. "That's why I was at the bar. I'd been there a few times and I liked it. When the stress of being gay- being at a new school, being alone and friendless- built up last night, I knew I could go there. So I did."

"Is this bar. . ." Burt trailed off. "Is it. . ."

"It's a gay bar," Dave confirmed, his voice stronger and more confident now that they weren't really focusing on him and his issues. "Not that popular, kind of small and dingy, but it's safe."

Burt nodded. "So you said you went there and got a beer. I guess you were just relaxing at the bar? Not out dancing or-or whatever?"

Laughing softly, Dave shook his head. "Definitely just sitting."

"What does any of this have to do with Kurt and what happened tonight?" Burt asked, even though he had a feeling he knew the answer.

"About fifteen minutes after I sat down, Kurt came in."


	5. Chapter 5

"You're saying that Kurt went to a gay bar?" Burt asked incredulously.

Before Dave could answer, there was a loud knock at the door. The two men turned to look in that direction, confused as to who it might be. A second knock prompted Burt to stand from his seat, but Finn was already stomping down the stairs.

"Sorry," he called as he went to get the door. "It's mine. Well, and Kurt's. We ordered pizza earlier."

With that, Burt and Dave turned back to face each other, ignoring Finn when he made his way back up the stairs.

"Where were we?" Burt prodded.

"Kurt was at the bar," Dave continued from earlier. "He had come with his boyfriend and this guy, Sebastian, who's kind of known for being slutty. He hangs around the bar a lot. Blaine and Sebastian were dancing when Kurt sat down beside me. He was a little down because Blaine was ignoring him so we got to talking."

"About what?"

Dave shrugged. "Kurt wanted to know how I was doing at my new school, wanted to apologize for making me feel like I had to leave. I told him it wasn't his fault. We talked a little about Blaine's attitude and that's when Kurt decided to go dance with him."

"Wait," Burt held up a hand. "The whole time you were talking to Kurt, Blaine was dancing with this Sebastian guy and doesn't even notice Kurt was gone?"

Nodding in confirmation, Dave kept going. "I don't know exactly what happened after that. All I know is that Kurt was helping Blaine, who was drunk off his ass, outside and then almost an hour later, Kurt was back at the bar."

"Why did he come back without Blaine?"

Dave looked away from those hard blue eyes and said, "From what I got out of Kurt- which wasn't much because he was pretty upset- Blaine tried to have sex with him in the back of the car. Kurt said no, Blaine kept trying, Kurt started yelling at him, and Blaine left."

Burt's hands were clenched, tight fists making white knuckles stand out. His jaw was also so tight that Dave would almost swear he could hear the man's teeth grinding together. "Keep going."

"Kurt came looking for me," Dave rushed out. "I took care of him all night, even when Sebastian tried to get in his face for leaving with me. I thought for sure Kurt was going to kill him after telling him what was going on, but Sebastian was so shocked and angry for Kurt. They're kind of friends now, I think?"

"All night?" Burt asked, ignoring the bit about Sebastian. He didn't know the kid well enough to make judgments, but so far it sounded as if he had a good head on his shoulders. "Did you stay here or did Kurt stay with you?"

Dave shook his head. "Kurt was really upset. We stayed with his mom until late this morning. I took Kurt back to the bar to grab his car and followed him here to make sure he got home alright. Then, I went home myself."

"So explain to me how you ended up back here just a few hours later."

"Finn text me," Dave answered. "I guess Kurt told him what had happened because the message I got said 'Blaine here, need backup asap'. I got here as quick as I good, but it wasn't fast enough."

"That little bastard was in my house?! After all he did to Kurt?!" Burt exclaimed, before pausing. "Wait. What do you mean you weren't fast enough?"

"When I got here, I heard Kurt screaming. I ran in to find Blaine had Kurt pushed against the wall," Dave rushed out, trying to get it all over with before Burt exploded. By the look on his face, it wouldn't be long. "I pulled Blaine away, grabbed Kurt, and separated them as much as I could. Blaine didn't understand what was going on, especially since Kurt had broken up with him on Facebook, so we explained it to him. He was upset, but he left when Kurt told him to."

"And then after all that you decided to kiss Kurt," Burt stated, his voice hard.

Dave flushed. "Sort of. I mean, Kurt asked me to."

"Why would he do that?"

"Because the last time he kissed me, I really liked it."

Dave and Burt turned to look at the stairs where Kurt was standing, a little pale and shaky but strong. He had his arms wrapped around his chest, as if trying to hold himself together, but his face was determined as he stared at his father.

Jumping up from his seat, Dave rushed over to Kurt and grabbed him gently. He brushed a hand over Kurt's face as he said, "Are you alright? That was a pretty heavy fall."

Kurt leaned into the hand on his cheek and smiled weakly. "I'm fine, Dave. I was just a little shocked. Thank you for putting me in bed."

"I'd do anything for you," Dave whispered, staring into Kurt's eyes. "You know that, Fancy."

"I do," Kurt nodded, his smile growing a little stronger. "Help me to the couch?"

Dave wrapped an arm around Kurt's thin waist and lead him across the living room to the couch. They both sat but Dave didn't remove his arm until he caught a glimpse of Burt's face. The man was looking at him with a strange glint in his eye and, after encountering it quite a few times by now, Dave had no wish to be up against the man's anger.

"Dad," Kurt snapped, catching the look on his dad's face. "Stop staring at Dave like you want to kill him. He's been nothing but good to me lately."

"Exactly," Burt nodded, a serious look tightening his face. "I don't want him to get any ideas."

Shaking his head, Kurt relaxed back into the couch and brought his legs up to curl beneath him. "You're being ridiculous, honestly. Just because a guy did a few nice things for me doesn't mean I'm going to jump in bed with him. And I promise you that Dave wasn't even thinking that until just now."

"How do you know?" Burt countered, looking at his son calculatingly.

Kurt glared at his dad with sharp eyes. "Because it would never occur to him that I might actually like him. Dave's nice to me and takes care of me because of how he feels about me, but he doesn't really think that I would ever really want him. That's why he was going to kiss me just because I asked."

Burt turned to look at Dave. He was blushing heavily but returned the gaze directly, his eyes sincere. His entire manner practically screamed that what Kurt was saying was true. For some reason, that made Burt feel a bit more at ease with the situation.

"Even if that's true," Burt said, looking at his son seriously. "We've talked about having boys in the house when I'm not here."

At that, Dave stood abruptly and turned to look down at Kurt. He blurted out, "It's getting late. I should go."

"O-oh, okay," Kurt stammered, his eyes wide and confused. He stared up at Dave in concern. "I'll see you later?"

Dave nodded. "Sure, text me. We'll hang out sometime."

"Okay," Kurt repeated, still confused as he watched Dave leave the room quickly. He didn't turn back to face his father until he heard the sharp squeak and firm click of the front door opening and closing.


End file.
